Shift delay



Sept. 23, 1952 H. w. GRAY ErAL SHIFT DELAY Filed Feb. 3, 1950 III/IIL ammi INVENTOR` w GRAY,

HAR OLD CL A Patented Sept. 273, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT vOFl'fslCll SHIFT DELAY Harold W. Gray and Clarence I. Nicosori, o San Luis Obispo, Calif. *n Application February 3, 1950, Serial No. 142,116

\ 2 Claims. (C1. #4f-472) '1 Atransmission to automatically shift at-higher speed ranges, in a manneenablingthe driver -to exert more positive controllof"acceleratinandldeceleration of the automobile'to meet-'varying road conditions by throttle g 'operationy betweenlthe speed ranges without causing th transmission to shift to higher speedranges, thereby reducing-the dangers of skiddin'g-and loss off-engine-Vbraking force otherwise present when nego-tiatingmountain road grades and curves 'dueto substantially constant upshiftingl and .downs'hifti-ng of -the transmission and reducing the necessityotherwise present for extreme *andy sudden depression of the acceleration Vpedal to-obtain shifting to a lower range when road conditions require, thereby reducing jerky operation of the automobile and waste o-f gasoline.- f

Another important object ofthe invention is to provide control means of the character indicated above which involves substituting for the standard one-piece shift control lever presenten an 'automatic transmission, an articulated two-piece shift delay control lever and a Bowden wire cable manual control and-locking means for-actuating the two-piece lever andflocking the same in shift delaying position, thei arrangement being such that the engine throttlellinkage connected to the two-piece lever is free -for operation bythe driver.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from .the following description and the l accompanying drawings wherein for, purposes of illustration, a specic embodiment of the invention issetforth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a contractedsideelevaton of anv automatic transmission showing the rangeselector lever and the shift delay lever on Aconcentric shafts, .with the manual actuating means and its locking means shown in section, the shift delay lever being shown in inoperative position in full lines and in operative position in dotted lines,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse vertical section, taken on the line 2-2 ofl Figure 1; and,

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 generally designatesthe case of an automatic automobile transmission from whose left hand side project inner and-outer concentric shafts 6 and 1, respectively. Clamped and locked on the outer shait`1 isa standard depending range selecto-r lever 8 to whose lower end is pivoted at 9 a forwardly'extending positioning rod I0 to which is connected in a usual manner the manual selecting 1ever (not shown) on the steering column vof the auto-mobile.- yThe range selector lever is not involved in the present invention except to the extent that it is left undisturbed for operation in the usual manner. l

In the placeof the standard-one-piece shaft control lever on the inner shaft 6 the present invention substitutes the delay shift control'lever I I comprising the upper section I2- and the lower section I4. The upper section I2' involves a conventional U-shaped clamp head I5 onits upper end to embrace the vshaft 6 outside ofthe .range selector lever Band' a clamping bolt I5 whereby the upperfsection is fixed in`position on the shaft 6. lThe upper portion I'I' ofthe upper section'is angularly oiisetina laterally outward direction,

as shown in Figure 2, and in a rearward direction,

as shown Ain Figure l. The vupper section I2 has a rearwardly facing lower k'portioniIS ofl channel cross section dependingJperpendicularly from.the lower end` ofthe ulsip'er'A portion I "I, andiproviding a Web I Bbetweenspaced side angesZIlifZU. *il

Y A vpivot -2I traversingltheiianges 20 .ati-the upper fend of the channel.portion I8 providesfpivotal support for theupperend of the-lower section I4 which is inthe vform' of a straightl' fiat-sided bar fitting movably between the flanges 2I'IY and having a forwardly declining lower end portion 2l projecting downwardly beyond'the lower end of the upper section I2. The lower end of the lower section I4 has pivoted thereto at 22 the clevis 23 of the usual throttle rodlinkage 24 which extends forwardly andv is connected in the usual manner with the carburetor throttleoperating mechanism (not shown). Normally,iwhenY the throttle of the 'automobile engine'is opened by'thefv drivers tramping on'the accelerator pedal, thelshift'control lever -I-I is `Vswung toward'the left in Figure 1 in' accordance with the amount of endwise move- Y mentof the throttle rodl24 Vtoward the `left Vfrom the normal 'or-inoperative"position of th'e lever yI I.

the transmission case, the action of the 'sprin'g25 being toI 'return the delay lever'. II to the normal or Y neutral or inoperativeposition'shown inlFigure 1 in full lines from` the operated posi-tion thereof shownmeottedliiiesin Figure 1. 'i :I

An outer ear-'21 sinii-larattheeaf25'projects from the lower end ofthe-Outer 'iiang 2i) o'f the upper "section" I2`5'an'd isformed with a hole 28 through which slides ai Bowde'iiwre v29.ur- Behind the ear 2l a stop'30 is secured to the Bowden wire to engage the back ofthe ear 21 when theBowden l wire is pulled forwardly, but the upper section l2 is 'free to move forwardly relative to the'wire 29 andjits stop3ll. i 1:.

TheBowden wire 29 leads upwardly and rearwardlythrough a cover SI anchored at:32" inthe forwardencl of a horizontal rigid tube .33 mounted the Bowden wire 29 is clamped by a set screw 33 in an axial socket 31 in the forward end of a plunger rod 38 slidable in the tube 33 and having speed setting such asy 7'0'lfniles per hour of the lever II. Beyond this high speed setting the transmission goes automatically into fourth gear.

a knob 39 on its rear end exposed at the rear end of the tube 33. The tube 33 has a spring pressed ball detent 40 on its upper side arranged to lockingly engage in a rearward depression 4I in the plunger rod 38 in the inoperative position of the shift delay lever I I o r in another forward depression 42 in the rod to lock the lever I I in operative position. It is obvious that when the knob 33 is pulled rearwardly from the position shown in Figure-1 the lower end of the upper section I2 of the shift delay lever II will be swung forwardly into the dotted line position shown in Figure l and that the upper end of the lower section will be swung forwardly into the dotted line position Shown. I t will be noted that in both the inoperative and operative positions of the shift delay lever II the position of the pivotal connection of the lower en d of the lower section I4 with the throttle linkage rod 24 remains substantially the same while the inner shaft I occupies a rearwardn ly rotated position in the operative position of the shift delay lever. This correspondingly retards the setting of the shaft 6 and of theusual mechanism (not shown) operated by the shaft G which is within the transmission case. v

It will also be noted that the above described arrangement of the upper and lower sections I2 and I4, respectively, of the shift delay lever II relative to each other and to the Bowden wire and its stop l permits the engine throttle rod linkage 24 to be moved independently of the lever II while the lever II is in its forward operative position. This arrangement enables the driver to depress or slack off the accelerator pedalv (not shown) to accelerate or decelerate the road speed of the automobile without causing up-shifting or down-shifting of the transmission, within the subsisting driving range.

The usual setting of the standard shift lever (not shown) on the inner shaft 6 is such that automatic up-shifting of the transmission o cours at approximately 4, 12 and 18 miles per hour car speeds', on normal throttle operation. The shift delay lever II of theinstant case is, however, set on the inner shaft 6 in such position that the transmission up-shifts from first to second` speed at from 14 to 16 miles per hour, from second to third speedat from 34 to 38 miles per hour, and from third to fourth speed at 70 miles per hour.

Thus, when encountering mountain grades and curves and/or ice conditions, the knob 39 is pulled out to obtain the car control advantages mentioned and to eliminate continuous automatic shifting by the transmission. For instance with the devicein operation under such conditions theV transmission shifts to third speed at about miles per hour without apparent noise or jerk. An acceleratorpedal controlled range of from 20 miles perv hour to miles per hour isthereby provided which enables the driver to use engine braking on approaching a curve at high speed by slacking off theaccelerator pedal to slow down the automobile without causing the transmission to automatically shift into fourth speed. After passing the curve it is not necessary, as without the present device, to jam the accelerator pedal to the fioorboards to get the transmission back into third gear from the low accelerating and low`v engine braking fourth gear, because the fourth gear is in effect locked out below the top The operation of the transmission is in no way impaired by the operation of the invention and the engine of the automobile is saved wear and tear. Pushing in of the knob 39 from a pulled out position returns the transmission to ordinary operation.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automotive power plant involving an engine having a throttle andoperating linkage therefor, an automatic transmission having a shifting shaft and a shifting ,lever connected thereto and extending radially'therefrom, means yieldably maintaining said shaft and lever in normal position in which the transmission shifts automatically in normal manner, said shifting lever comprising a first section having one end fixed on said shifting shaft, said rst section having a portion adjacent the other'end thereof of channel cross section, a second section extending longitudinally of and receivable within said channel portion of said firstvsection and having one end pivotally connected to said channel portion, the other end of said second section being beyond and spaced from said other end of said first section and pivotally connectedto saidthrottle linkage, an ear exteriorly of said first section adjacent the other end thereof, and manual means connected to said ear for movi-ng said first section away from said second sect-long,

. Y 2. In an automotive power plant includingY an engine having a throttle and operating linkage therefor, an automatic transmission having a shifting shaft, said shifting shaft having; a normal position in, which the transmission shifts automatically inV a normal manner, means. yieldably maintaining said' shifting shaft; in. its normal position, a shift delay lever vcomprising a first section having one end fixed on said shifting shaft, said first section having; a; portion adjacent the other end thereof ofchannel cross section, a second section extending longitudinally of and receivable within said channel portion ofsaid first section and having one end pivotally connected to said channel portion, the other endof said second section being beyond and spaced from said other end of said firstsection and pivotally connected to said throttlelinkage, an ear exteriorly of said first section adjacentthe other end thereof, manual means connected to saidrear for moving said first section away from said second section, and spring means operatively. connected to said first section adjacent the other end thereoffor biasing 'saidffirst' section toward said second section.

HAROLDIW. GRAY.. CLARENCE I.' NICOSON.

rtiernaisNons 'CITED The following references arelfof recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name- Date 2,071,292 Woolson Feb. 16, 1937 2,071,785 Ehrlich-, Feb. 2,3, 1937 2,120,555 Good; Ju ne,14 1938 2,193,304 Thompson` Mar. 12, 1940 2,208,643 Neracher July 231940 2,329,724 Mafurer- Sept.l 21, 1943 2,343,955 Cotterman- Mar. 14, 1944 2,577,660 Krueger Dec. 4, 1951 

